Lincoln MKZ Complaints

1,851 consumer complaints on file.

#11722152March 5, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The car has been experiencing a persistent cylinder #2 misfire. We replaced the coils and spark plugs, only to learn that this is a common issue with the 2.0 MKZ engines. The problem has worsened to the point where the car sometimes can barely move in traffic, creating a serious safety risk if other drivers don’t notice the vehicle slowing to a crawl. It also puts my family at risk if we ever have to exit the car in busy traffic. Ford has diagnosed the issue, but they stated there is no recall associated with this VIN. The check engine light remains on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718633February 17, 2026
STEERING
The contact owns a 2019 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while reversing, the steering wheel wobbled. The contact stated that the steering wheel was moving back and forth. In addition, the contact stated that while making a turn, the steering wheel turned in the intended direction without an issue. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,100.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717970February 14, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SUSPENSION
The transmission is slipping my car is only has 53,000 miles on it, the radio doesn’t work I had to pay over $1000 to fix the trunk latch and my brakes are fine but not working properly
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717569February 12, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was distorted and foggy. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11717680February 12, 2026
STEERING
I was slowing down to take a turn and I see an error message saying “power steering assist failure”. And steering went stiff..
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715536February 4, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle entered LIMP Mode and failed to shift into third or fourth gear. Due to the failure, the contact made several stops while driving to the residence. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic but was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V390000 (POWER TRAIN); and associated the failure with the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11713321January 26, 2026
STEERING
STEERING GEAR STOPPED WORKING, CAUSED THE CAR TO LOCK UP STEERING WHILE DRIVING SIMALAR AS RECALL 19S26. WE FEEL THIS CAR SHOULD ADDED TO THE CURRENT RECALLS FOR THIS SAME MATTER.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712880January 23, 2026
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2017 Lincoln MKZ experienced a sudden and severe engine failure consistent with the known Ford/Lincoln coolant intrusion defect affecting 1.5L, 1.6L, and 2.0L EcoBoost engines. While driving, the vehicle began losing coolant with no visible external leak, followed by rough running, misfires, and complete engine shutdown. The vehicle became inoperable and had to be towed to a Ford dealership. At the dealership, technicians were unable to start the vehicle at all, and could not even pull it into the service bay to perform diagnostics. The service department told us the symptoms match the known coolant‑intrusion issue documented in Ford’s Technical Service Bulletin 19‑2346, which applies to 2017–2019 2.0L EcoBoost engines. They advised us not to pay for diagnostic testing, because the failure pattern is already known and documented by Ford, but not covered under any recall. They referred us to Lincoln corporate. Lincoln corporate then informed us that they have no programs available to assist with this defect, even though it is a known issue. They stated that even if a program existed, they “wouldn’t be able to assist with even half the cost.” They also suggested that we consider installing a junkyard engine as a more cost‑effective option. This was their only recommendation for a catastrophic engine failure caused by a known defect. This is extremely concerning for a safety‑related failure. The symptoms match Ford’s documented defect exactly: • Coolant loss with no external leak • White smoke prior to failure • Engine misfires and rough running • Overheating • Engine unable to start • Potential for engine seizure or fire This is the same failure pattern described in recall 25V685 and the January 2026 recall, which involve coolant intrusion, overheating, and fire risk in similar Ford/Lincoln engines. My VIN is not included, but the failure mode is identical. My vehicle is now completely disabled due to this defect, and Lincoln has refused any assistance.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712962January 23, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKZ. The contact was advised of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rearview camera displayed a distorted image while the vehicle was in reverse(R). The contact stated that the vehicle on the side appeared on the opposite side in the camera. The contact stated that the failure obstructed the driver's visibility, preventing the safe operation of the vehicle. Several unknown messages were displayed. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712110January 20, 2026
BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2015 Lincoln MKZ. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the rearview camera was inoperable while in reverse(R). The dealer was contacted and related the failure to the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11712156January 20, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving at freeway speed, my fully closed panoramic moon roof exploded with me and my 5 year old son in the car. Thankfully, the interior shade was closed so no shards of glass fell inside. It sounded like a gunshot and I have front and rear view dash cam video with audio of the incident. You can see glass flying off the back of the car that could have easily damaged another vehicle if one happened to be close enough. I have been without my car for almost three months as it sits in a glass repair shop waiting for a part that is supposedly nationally back ordered. The Lincoln dealership wouldn't even help me. They just pointed me straight to the glass shop while adamantly saying a rock must have hit the top of my car to cause the damage.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11710990January 14, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The car had an internal transmission failure and caused most of the transmission fluid to leak out between inspections. Upon removing the cv axle on driver’s side, the seal was fine and replaced along with cv axle. The fluid drained and was only about half a liter (needs about 4.5L normally). After servicing the transmission fluid, the dealership did their assessment and came to the following conclusion. “ Good Afternoon Sir We found the transmission system requires replacement due to an internal fault, including damage to the transfer shaft and bearings, with potential additional internal damage. Replacing the transmission can help restore smooth gear shifting and overall drivetrain functionality. To replace the transmission, you are looking at $9000.00 out the door. My apology on taking much longer to diagnose this properly. If you have any other questions please let me know. ” The drastic transmission failure which makes noises and engages and disengages while on cruise control shows the failure internally. Many metal pieces were found among the fluid when drained. This could and still can easily leave someone on the middle of the road with no time to drive to the shoulder. Car still has less than 100k miles with the severe transmission failure and the fluid leak which occurred prior to the transmission making noise. Essentially, the internal components caused the leak which the caused even more damage. I’m quoted $9,000 for the repair which occurred really early in the car’s life. I do a lot of longer trips away from home and can easily be left stranded in the middle of nowhere or even cause huge accidents when in heavy fast moving traffic if I lose drivability or if metal components fly off. The cv axle moves in and out of the transaxle side meaning the shaft can pop off as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11710780January 13, 2026
ENGINE
Faulty engine, head gasket failure and needing total engine replace at 83,000 miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708587January 3, 2026
STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Steering wheel lock up
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708315January 2, 2026
SEAT BELTS
Rear buckle incompatible with child booster seat, pressure has broken the buckle for the inflatable safety belts. Buckle housing has cracked open. This is a common complaint and should be a safety recall
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707430December 29, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
So I bought this car in February of last year. Since I've had it june I had to do a head gasket. Another time the high speed fuel pump had bolt come loose and oil went everywhere causing a fire. Had transmission intercooler line do the same thing. Additional fire. And just recently I problem that was supposedly fixed already wasn't and flywheel broke leaving me stranding in a parking lot for 4 days dropping transmission. The dealer didn't put back all the parts correctly either.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707404December 28, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Car only has 97K miles and the transmission fluid has been leaking for some time causing loud noises from the transmission which took time to locate. The transmission leaked fluid and only had about half a liter of fluid when it should be around 4.5 liters. The fluid leaked from the transmission on the driver cv axle seal. The car shows no lights on dash of any kind. I discovered the leak after the noises were really bad while driving one day. I put the car on my ramps and got under and discovered the driver cv axle damaged and looked like electrical tape was jammed in the cv axle near the transfer case/transmission. Upon closer inspection the leak of transmission fluid was even more obvious. There is no dip stick for the transmission so I decided to drain and see and there is evidence of only about half a liter of fluid. The fluid is black and full of metal particles. This is concerning because the depth of damage is unknown until the car is repaired; this repair would include a new seal, cv axle and fluid replacement. There is no way to know what internal damage was done and this was such a short period of time. Periodic inspections are conducted on the vehicle when oil changed are completed. This can easily lead to transmission failure and the risk is exponential due to it happening regardless of where you are on the road with the unknown weather and road conditions. Miles reflected is when the leak was discovered after the noises. 97,839 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11707406December 28, 2025
WHEELS
Wheel lug nuts get swollen due to the material used causing problems when the wheels need to be removed. I was lucky to not be in an emergency situation needing to change a wheel out. This could have easily happened and I would have been unable to change a wheel on the side of the road. I went to Costco to get my tires changed and they refused to take the wheels off because the wheel lug nuts were ALL swollen and could cause issues on removal or/and installation. They were afraid of stripping the hardware during removal or being unable to torque to spec during installation. The replacement of the wheel lug nuts with parts that wont recreate the problem was about $90 and taking an extra day for the tire replacement appointment plus me replacing it on my own saved on labor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11704966December 14, 2025
ENGINE
While driving vehicle the engine shut down for no apparent reason. Light came on said do not attempt to drive, not safe. Was able to get car to a safe area. Was able to restart and get the car home. Brought the car to the dealer, said battery was dead, found water in the truck where the battery is located
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702182December 1, 2025
STEERING
After filling up with gas, started the vehicle & it displayed SEVERAL warnings regarding the steering, stability control, etc. Only about 2 miles from home. Started driving home & the steering wheel was variably going from fairly difficult to turn to VERY difficult to turn. Got within about 150 feet of my home & could not turn the steering wheel AT ALL. Tried multiple times to back up / go forward while attempting to move the steering wheel in hopes of getting in my driveway, to no avail. Ended up having to call a tow truck & having vehicle taken to a local dealership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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